CURRENT NOTES

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28157, 21 December 1956, Page 2

CURRENT NOTES

About 400 members of the Christ-1 church branch of the New Zealand Pensioners’ Association held their Christmas party in the Caledonian Hall yesterday. Guests of honour were the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr R. M. Macfarlane. M.P.) and Mrs Macfarlane, Miss Mabel Howard. M.P., Mr and Mrs W. H. Larcombe. Miss E. Smith, Brigadier and Mrs H. Lord, Mrs R. Burrows, and Mrs- Hilda Reeve. Items were presented by Mrs P. Schumacher (piano accordion), Mrs T. Collins 1 (humorous sketches), Mr P. Caithness; (songs), and Mrs G. Harall (songs).l A luncheon party in honour of Miss! Ana Tini was held by Te Wai Pou-! namu Old Girls’ Association in a' Christchurch restaurant yesterday.) Miss Tini is the first Maori girl to be) selected for a touring New Zealand! women’s cricket te£m. The guest of honour was presented with a leatherbound writing compendium from the association. The Rev. Canon I. L. Richards presided over a good attendance at the' annual meeting of the Christchurch Divine Healing Fellowship. Officers' elected were: chairman, the Rev.! Canon I. L. Richards; vice-chairman,' the Rev. C. S. Knight; secretary. Miss' M. E. Schwebe; treasurer, Mr C. H. Labatt; librarian. Mrs N. Trail; committee. the Ven. Archdeacon E. A. Gowing. the Revs. J. F. Ellis, T. C. Johnstone and P. N. Wright, Deaconess P. H. Park, Mesdames D. Jones, N. G. Mitchell and Nisbet. I

Mrs I. Brown presided at the Christmas party of the Spreydon-Hoon Hay Townswomen’s Guild. The guests of honour were the Dominion president (Mrs Plumridge), Dominion secretary (Mrs Collett) and area president (Mrs Fowler). Visitors from other guilds were also welcomed. Items were presented by the choir under the leadership of- Mrs Taylor, the drama circle under the direction of Mrs Thompson. Mrs Jolly (piano accordion) and Mesdames Taylor and Henshall (piano, duets). The Christmas cake was cut by Mrs Plumridge. The hall was decorated for the occasion by Mrs Whitelaw and Mrs McCracken. The university women of France will hold a meeting to honour the memory of Madame Marie Curie on January 12, 1957, according to a notice received at a meeting of the Dominion executive of the New Zealand Federation 1 of University Women. It was 50 years; ago on that date that Madame Curie' gave her first lecture at the Sorbonne I in Paris. She was the first woman to' give a regular course at any French University. The New Zealand federa-1 tion decided to inform the French committee that Madame Curie, who with' her husband, discovered radium, was held in high esteem in New Zealand. The executive sent greetings and congratulations to the French committee • arranging the memorial function.

The Friends of the Disabled were hostesses to the families of the trainees and staff of the Disabled Servicemen’s League in Riccarton road, at a Christmas party. The president (Mrs H. A. Bishop) welcomed the guests. Items were provided by Mr Watson Raines (ventriloquist). Mr Douglas (magician) and ‘Vantini’’ (cycling clown). Father Christmas, with the asistance of Mr M. L. Roberts, presented the children with gifts from the Christmas tree. Guests of honour were Mesdames Fuller and Milne, of the Somerfield Townswomen’s Guild, which supplied soft toys made by members, and the matron of Rannerdale Home (Mrs Whittington). The Handcraft Centre of the Cerebral Palsy Group in Antigua street held a break-up party recently, when gifts were distributed to boys and girls who attend classes there. Small presentations were made to Mrs Currie, the instructor, and to her assistant, Mr Chapman. Among those who passed the Nurses’ and Midwives’ Board State preliminary examination held last month were Misses I. Milne and H. M. Milner of the Christchurch Public Hospital.